Grab your diary: this is the race calendar for 2019

The 2019 race season

There’s not a huge amount of rest for the World Tour professionals after the official end of the race season. Almost straight after the final race the respective race organisers unveil the new routes for the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia. While the course designers for the Tour of Spain are still keeping their cards close to their chests, the rest of the race calendar for 2019 has been published. We’ve put the major races into a mouth-watering month-by-month calendar. Time to get your diary locked and loaded!

January

Tour Down Under: January 15 – 20

The first UCI World Tour race this year is the Tour Down Under, where the peloton rides through Australia. Although it’s the middle of winter in Europe, the sun is shining in Australia as summer is in full swing. For this stage race, the riders will face high temperatures and long asphalt roads. Most stages will be won by sprinters, but there are always a few climbing challenges to shake up the rankings.

March

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: March 2

The 2019 European season opens with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad — a race known for its terrible weather conditions, but which often produces impressive racing. It is a challenge that Greg Van Avermaet loves and last year Michael Valgren grabbed the win ahead of a snarling pack. Niki Terpstra has in the past achieved good results here too.

Strade Bianche: March 9

One of the most beautiful classics of the year is the Italian Strade Bianchi. The race has been happening in its current form only since 2007 and has since seen winners such as Philippe Gilbert, Fabian Cancellara, Zdenek Stybar and Michael Kwiatkowski. The riders race over a mix of paved and unpaved (gravel) roads, before finishing in Siena on Piazza del Campo, just after a steep, final climb.

Paris-Nice: March 10 – 17

Paris-Nice is one of the first races in the season where general classification (GC) riders become hungry for good rankings. Although this race is nicknamed The Race to the Sun, the peloton is often burdened by unpredictable weather conditions. In recent years, names such as Richie Porte, Geraint Thomas, Sergio Henao and Carlos Betancur have all won here.

Tirreno-Adriatico: March 13 – 19

Around the same time as Paris-Nice, the Tirreno-Adriatico will be just starting in Italy. This race is often seen as a good preparation for Milan-San Remo, because there are several intermediate sprints en route. However, the final victory is often claimed by a climber — this is because the peloton also has to ride over the Apennines.

Milan-San Remo: March 23

The first really big milestone of 2019 will be Milan–San Remo: aka La Primavera. With its nearly 300km long route, it’s one of the longest one-day races of the year. It is a race often won by sprinters, but due to some adjustments in the course, climbers can use one of the hills as a springboard for an attack. Focused bike handling is required, given the downhill runs through the winding Italian landscape. In the past two years, Michal Kwiatkowski and Vincenzo Nibali were the ones to cross the line first.

Volta a Catalunya: March 25 – 31

The Volta a Catalunya, also known as the Tour of Catalonia, has been a solid race for Alejandro Valverde in recent years. He has won three times already. The race is a multi-day competition for riders who can climb — in the past, for example, riders like Nairo Quintana, Richie Porte and Dan Martin have always done well here.

E3 Harelbeke: March 29

During this week, four stunning races occur over a week and a half period, with routes all around Flanders. The E3 Harelbeke race is the first. It covers about 200km and has some small climbs and cobbles along the way. Usually it is a race for riders who are still strong after a long game and can launch into a sprint — last year, Niki Terpstra took the win.

Gent-Wevelgem: March 31

Since 2010, Gent-Wevelgem has the reputation of being a difficult race full of steep climbs that the riders must tackle before hitting the finish. This is a race often won by sprinters who can handle a bit of climbing — riders such as Peter Sagan, John Degenkolb and Greg Van Avermaet.

April

Dwars door Vlaanderen: April 3

The third race happening during the Flemish Cycling week is called Dwars door Vlaanderen (literally: Straight Across Flanders). The race consists of difficult climbs, such as the Knokteberg, the Kruisberg and the Taaienberg. In addition, the race has various cobblestoned routes, making it a race where those on the attack often get away with the win. In recent years, we have seen wonderful attackers such as Yves Lampaert, Jelle Wallays and Terpstra celebrate their victories here.

Tour of Flanders: April 7

The Tour of Flanders is the second major classic of the year. It is one of the most beautiful races too, and it makes you feel jealous if you’re not in Belgium attending the festivities in person. It is a race with alternating cobbled sections and short, sharp climbs, and one where the strongest man often wins. In 2018, Niki Terpstra took home the win — but names like Gilbert, Sagan, Kristoff, Cancellara and Boonen have also won here in the past.

Tour of the Basque Country: April 8 – 13

Like the Tour of Catalonia, the Tour of the Basque Country is a race for climbers. It is a race that occurs exactly between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, so the event often goes unnoticed and does not always receive the attention it deserves. It is very a Spanish affair, with winners such as Valverde, Contador, Rodriguez and Sanchez. Last year Primoz Roglic of Lotto NL Jumbo took the victory.

Paris-Roubaix: April 14

Paris-Roubaix is without a doubt one of the most beautiful races of the year. Like the Tour de France, this race is recognised worldwide. Without question, the most exciting editions to watch (and the toughest to ride) are the ones when it rains. The differences become clear on the cobbled sections, before riders end on the world-famous Roubaix Vélodrome.

Photo: Cor Vos

Amstel Gold Race: April 21

The Amstel Gold Race is the only classic that is staged in the Netherlands. The riders will race through the Limburg landscape, where the route always goes up and down. The final used to be on the Cauberg hill, but in recent years the race hasn’t finished there, so now it is open to those without uphill sprinting skills. Of late, guys such as Valgren, Gilbert and Kwiatkowski have won here.

La Flèche Wallonne: April 24

In recent years you could also call the La Flèche Wallonne the ‘Grand Prix Valverde’, as he won the race four times between 2014 and 2017 — not to mention his win in 2006, making a total of no less than five wins. The finish is on the sharp Mur of Huy, which has dizzying hill gradients. Last year, the prize went somewhat surprisingly to Julian Alaphilippe.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège: April 28

The last great classic of Spring is Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which is a cycling monument along with Paris-Roubaix, Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and the Tour of Lombardy. Liège-Bastogne-Liège is a race where, just as with the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne, a lot of hills have to be climbed, and at the finish often only a handful of riders still have the strength to fight for the win. Jungels, Valverde, Poels, Gerrans and Martin were the last few winners.

Tour of Romandie: April 30 – May 5

The Tour of Romandie is considered to be one of the most important races in preparation for the Giro d’Italia. It takes place in Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is known for having a bunch of tough climbing stages and a challenging time trial. Primož Roglič, riding for the Dutch LottoNL–Jumbo team, won in 2018. Previous victors include Richie Porte, Nairo Quintana, Ilnur Zakarin, Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins.

May

The Giro d’Italia: May 11 – June 2

The Giro d’Italia is the first major three-week bike race in 2019. In recent years this race has been enhanced by Tom Dumoulin, who won in 2017 and came second in 2018. The 2019 Giro route has a surprisingly high number of time trial kilometres. At the same time, there are a whole lot of tough mountains to climb. There’s a high chance of some serious racing fireworks, and of the battle for victory continuing until the bitter end.

Amgen Tour of California: May 12 – 18

The American state of California hosts its own Tour at the same time as the Giro d’Italia. At first glance, it’s not a very significant race, but in recent years more and more big names have entered this event. The first couple of stages are often flat, but there are also a number of serious climbs on the menu. As a result, victory usually goes to a climber. Recent editions have been won by Egan Bernal, George Bennet and Julian Alaphilippe.

June

Critérium du Dauphiné: June 9 – 16

The Critérium du Dauphiné is traditionally one of the main preparation races for the Tour de France. In a week’s racing the riders get a mixture of sprint stages, time trials and climbing stages. And it is the latter that tend to make the difference in the general classification. Riders who show they are in good form in the Critérium du Dauphiné are by definition ones to watch out for during the Tour de France.

Tour of Switzerland: June 15 – 23

Riders are increasingly choosing the Tour of Switzerland as preparation for the Tour de France. This race is slightly closer on the calendar to the Tour de France than the Critérium du Dauphiné is, which makes it an easier transition for riders into the most legendary bike race on the planet. The Tour of Switzerland consists primarily of climbing stages, but also features some decent time trialing. In 2018, the Tour of Switzerland was won by Australian Richie Porte, who seem assured of a good Tour de France — unfortunately, he crashed out of the Tour with a broken collar bone.

July

Tour de France: July 6 – 28

The Tour de France is without doubt the biggest race of the year. For 2019, the organisers have opted to limit the number of time trial kilometres — on paper, this limits the chances of the star Dutch rider and time trial specialist Tom Dumoulin. Instead, there’s a host of spectacular mountain stages scheduled during the final week. Let’s hope the race stays exciting right until the end.

August

Clásica de San Sebastián: August 3

You’re right: this is the odd one out, as it is a one-day race. And the Clásica de San Sebastián often gets ignored or forgotten anyway. However, many riders enter it to carry their form through from the gruelling Tour de France, while others use it to prepare for the Vuelta a España. The race covers around 230km and includes a number of major climbs that usually dictate which type of rider wins.

Tour of Poland: August 3 – 9

The Tour of Poland is the first race in August 2019. This event often receives rather little attention, because the race takes place in the middle of the summer holidays and is jammed in between the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting preparatory race for the Vuelta. In recent years we’ve seen top-class riders such as Vincenzo Nibali, Simon Yates, Wout Poels, Wilco Kelderman, Sam Oomen and Thibaut Pinot battling it out in Poland. They then go on to shine in the Vuelta, so this race is a great test of form. The Tour of Poland has a lot of climbing and if you get the chance to follow it, it’s really worth watching.

BinckBank Tour: August 12 – 18

The BinckBank Tour used to be called the Eneco Tour and takes place in the Netherlands and Belgium. The race is ideal preparation for sprinters in getting the legs ready for the Vuelta à España. It also has a couple of hilly stages for climbers, passing through the rolling landscapes of Limburg and the Ardenne. The overall victory tends to go to someone who can climb a hill or two. Recent editions of the race have seen big names fight it out for glory, such as Tom Dumoulin, Philip Gilbert and Peter Sagan.

September

Tour of Spain: August 24 – September 15

The last three-week Grand Tour of the season: the Vuelta a España (the Tour of Spain). This race has the reputation of being a kind of extra bonus at the end of the season, and tends be short of some of the really big names in professional cycling. In general, it’s a race riders enter if they’re making up for a bad season, or an injury earlier on in the season. Riding both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta is do-able for professionals. Indeed, the winner in 2018, Simon Yates, also did well in the Giro. Until it all went pear-shaped in the third week, that is…

Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec: September 13

There are two excellent one-day races in Canada towards the end of the season. These races are excellent for riders who can deal with a few hills, but also have a good sprint in their legs. This double bill is often used by riders who want to get in form for the UCI World Championships. The first of the pair is a race around Quebec, suited to names like Peter Sagan, Greg van Avermaet, Rigoberto Uran and Team Sunweb’s Michael Matthews, who won in 2018.

Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal: September 15

Two days later, roughly the same group of riders land in the wonderful city of Montreal. The riders have to complete a local circuit a number of times, which includes around 4,500m of elevation gain. Again, it’s the sprinter that can climb that does best here. Having said that, the first ever edition was won by Dutchman Robert Gesink, who is not known for his sprint.

October

Il Lombardia: October 12

This is one of the most attractive one-day races of the year. It’s the last of the five one-day race ‘monuments’ of the season. The others being the Milan-San Remo, the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Paris–Roubaix and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Il Lombardia is often ridden in challenging weather, which makes it worth watching from the comfort of the sofa. The course includes a lot of climbing, breathtaking descents and great Italian scenery. Because this race is important to the riders, it means this race often ensures an attractive winner. For example, recent years have seen Thibaut Pinot, Nibali, Esteban Chaves and Tony Martin climb to the top of the victor’s podium. This is a date you should already put in your diary as a day to stay at home and watch the race unfold.

Tour of Guangxi:  October 15 – 20

The bike racing season is all but over once Il Lombardia has finished. There are, however, a couple races still on the UCI World Tour calendar but big names usually stay away. The first is held around the city of Guanxi and offers a few stages for sprinters and a couple for the climbers, which often go to the riders such as Tim Wellens and Bauke Mollema.

Tour of Turkey: October 22 – 27

The Tour of Turkey is the last big race of the year. In the past this race took place in the spring, but the calendar’s rather full at the beginning of the season, so it got moved to the end. The good thing about this race is that it’s often held in good weather, which gives the riders one last incentive to race ‘full-gas’ (meaning really hard/ fast). The less good thing about this race is that the riders are dying for a rest, and this race often has the feeling of being an obligation.

Already know which races you don’t want to miss? Set the dates in your dairy. Can’t choose yet? Copy the link to this story into the beginning of each month!